


A Birthday Surprise

by Athena83



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Birthday Fluff, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-02 22:07:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16795672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athena83/pseuds/Athena83
Summary: Reader finds out that Yondu has never celebrated his birthday, and is determined to fix that.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This is a loose sequel to [The Picnic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16626959/chapters/38978492), though you don’t have to read that one first. Some things mentioned in this story make a little more sense if you’ve read The Picnic first, but this can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

Even after knowing him for over three years and being together for the past couple of weeks, Yondu was still a private person. Though he had started opening up to you a little more, he very rarely volunteered information about himself. You figured it was a habit built on a lifetime of self-preservation, and while you wanted to learn everything about him, you respected him enough not to pressure him into talking about things he wasn’t yet comfortable enough to share. There were _some_ things, however, that you thought were okay to ask him. 

“So, when’s your birthday?” you asked, as you sat next to him in the cockpit. He had been teaching you to fly one of the smaller M-ships, and you had just finished the day’s lesson.

“Dunno,” he said, his eyes still on the control screen in front of him, as he turned the ship back towards the Eclector.

“You don’t know?”

“Nah. Ain’t got one.”

“You were born at some point, right?”

He finally turned to look at you. “Yeah, reckon I was. Jus’ dunno when.”

Your confusion must have shown on your face, because he continued, “I was sold to the Kree when I was jus’ a baby, so I ain’t sure when I’s actually born.”

“Ohhh…,” you breathed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.”

You knew he had been a battle slave, but you hadn’t known he had only been a _baby_ when he was sold. You were horrified.

“’S okay. Ya didn’t have a way of knowin’.”

“And you were just a baby?”

He turned back to the control screen and pressed a couple of buttons before replying, “Yep.”

You recognized his tone – he clearly didn’t want to discuss this topic. Understandable. But you didn’t want to abandon the birthday conversation. It was baffling to you that someone could have gone through their _entire life_ without celebrating their birthday even _once_. You knew not everyone had grown up with the same experiences as you, and you knew how lucky you were to have had a family who celebrated each member on their birthday. It was always such a special occasion, and it broke your heart that Yondu had never experienced that. You also knew he wouldn’t want you to pity him, so, in a chipper voice, you said, “Well, we’ll just have to pick a birthday for you.”

He turned to you again. “What?”

“We can pick a day to celebrate your birthday every year.”

“Why’d we do somethin’ like that?” he asked, skeptical.

“You deserve to celebrate your birthday. It doesn’t matter if you know the actual date or not.”

“Jus’ seems silly.”

“Didn’t Peter ever celebrate his birthday on the ship?”

“Yeah, reckon he did, but he was jus’ a kid.”

“So? Age doesn’t matter.”

He didn’t look convinced, but if there was one thing you’d learned in the past couple of weeks of being with Yondu, it was that he would do anything to make you happy. 

“I just think it would be fun. We could have a little party, and -”

“Absolutely not. I ain’t havin’ a party.”

“I thought you loved parties.”

“Not when I gotta be the center of attention.”

“And here I thought you thrived on attention,” you teased.

He looked at you, raised an eyebrow, and flashed his crooked grin. “Only on yer attention.”

You blushed – even after these few weeks together, you still managed to blush every single time he gave you _that_ look.

“Okay, no party. But we can still pick a date for you. You and I can just celebrate on our own.” You smiled sweetly at him.

“I like the sound of that.”

“Okay, so let’s pick a date. What do you think?”

“I dunno. You can pick.”

“I can’t just pick a random date for you! Are there any dates that are special to you? Or a certain time of year you prefer?”

He docked the M-ship on the Eclector, then was silent for a moment as he looked out at the stars. You took the opportunity to admire his profile: his blue skin, the soft glow of his fin, and the slightly raised scars.

Finally, he turned and met your eyes. “What ‘bout November 30th?”

“Okay! What made you pick… wait… isn’t that - ?”

“Yeah, it is,” he answered, smiling slightly.

“The day we met,” you said softly. “You remembered!”

“’Course I did.”

“Why would you remember that?”

“Dunno, reckon it jus’ stuck with me. Same reason ye remembered.”

“Well, I was bound to remember it. It’s not every day that a handsome Ravager Captain walks into your shop.”

“Ya thought I’s handsome?” he asked, clearly pleased.

“Of course. I always will,” you replied, leaning over to kiss his cheek. 

_____________________________________________

A month had passed since the conversation about birthdays, and it hadn’t been mentioned again. You were pretty sure Yondu had already forgotten about it. You hadn’t, however, and the date Yondu had picked had finally arrived. You had been busy trying to come up with something to do to celebrate, as well as finding the perfect gift. You knew a party was out of the question – you figured Yondu wouldn’t want the crew to know about it at all – so you had decided to plan a quiet dinner for just the two of you. 

You had picked up his present on one of your last supply runs, as well as a cookbook and ingredients for a cake. The only thing left to do was to actually bake the cake, and you were slightly nervous about it, for various reasons. You had baked occasionally before you left Xandar, but you were out of practice now. You also weren’t sure how baking on a spaceship differed from baking back home. Would the anti-gravity fields wreak havoc with the ingredients? You didn’t think so, but you really should have paid more attention to your mother when she had tried teaching you to cook.

Your biggest problem would be keeping it a secret. You had never asked the ship’s cook – whose name you still didn’t know because everyone just called him “Cook,” – if you could use the kitchen before, so you were sure he would wonder why you were suddenly showing an interest in the culinary arts. And, if you actually succeeded in baking an edible cake, you weren’t sure how you would get it to your room without being seen by any of the Ravagers, all of whom could sniff out food within a quarter mile. 

You wanted everything to be perfect – Yondu deserved that. You took a deep breath, then let it out. “Okay, first things first… time to decorate.”

You were pretty sure Yondu wouldn’t be looking for you at this time of day – he was too busy planning the crew’s next mission - but you locked your door, just in case.

You walked to your bed and pulled out the box of decorations you’d smuggled onto the ship the week before and hidden underneath the bed. You didn’t think Yondu would ever go digging around under there, so it had been the perfect hiding place. 

You hadn’t been able to find many decorations on the supply run, but you were just happy to have found any. Apparently decorating for birthdays was not a popular custom throughout the galaxy. You’d managed to find some streamers – red, yellow, and purple – and two balloons – one blue and one red. You shook your head and sighed. Still, it was better than nothing. You quickly hung the streamers, and used a small helium pump you’d borrowed from the maintenance wing to blow up the balloons. You had also found a small banner at the shop, and you had already written “ _Happy birthday, Yondu!_ ” across it with blue paint. After making sure the paint was dry, you hung it on the wall behind the small table you had moved into your room earlier in the day. Standing back to check your handiwork, you had to admit it didn’t look too bad. 

You returned to your bed, and pulled out another, much smaller, box from underneath it. You hoped Yondu liked the gift you’d gotten him. It was another trinket for his collection, but one you’d had custom made. It was a small snow globe, with glittery stars instead of snow; inside was a floating version of the Andromeda constellation. You smiled to yourself as you thought about that night after the picnic. You and Yondu had been stargazing, and you had pointed out Andromeda, which had been shining brightly above the two of you. It had felt like the pair of you had been the only two people in the galaxy. You had ended up telling him about the myth of Andromeda and how Perseus had saved her. When you’d finished, Yondu had teasingly said the constellation should belong to the two of you, because he would always protect you. He may have been joking, but ever since that perfect night, you had considered it yours and his. You hoped he would make the connection when he saw the globe. 

You carefully wrapped it in tissue paper and placed it in a small box, then tied a red ribbon into a bow on top. The easy part was finished – now it was time to bake a cake.

You left the gift on the bed, then looked around for something you could use to bring the cake back to your room. You spotted the picnic basket on a shelf on the other side of the room – _perfect_. You picked up the cookbook and cake ingredients, and placed them in the basket.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader finds out that Yondu has never celebrated his birthday, and is determined to fix that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that cakes typically take time to cool before you can frost them, but honestly, I couldn’t figure out what the reader could do in the meantime, so let’s all just assume this is a fancy space oven that instantly cools cakes before you remove them. :)

Locking your door behind you, you headed towards the ship’s kitchen. Luckily, when you arrived in the mess hall, there were only a few Ravagers at a table on the far side of the room, and they were too busy eating and laughing raucously to even notice you. You quietly walked to the back and stuck your head around the kitchen door.

“Hi, Cook!” 

He turned around from the pot of soup he was stirring, and said, “Oh, hey, Y/N. How’s it goin’?”

“Pretty good. I was wondering if I could use your kitchen for a little while…”

“Ya wanna cook somethin’?”

“Yeah…”

“Don’t see why not. C’mon in.”

Relieved, you walked inside, and said, “Thanks, Cook!”

“Don’t mention it. What are ye plannin’ on makin’?”

“Oh, um, a cake.”

“Special occasion?”

“Oh, you know… I was just in the mood for a cake.”

“Yeah, I know how it is.”

You were grateful he wasn’t the nosy type.

“Do you mind if I use a couple of ingredients from your stores? I bought as much as I could, but I couldn’t find everything I needed.”

“Help yerself.”

You walked to the cupboard and retrieved the items you were missing, then returned to your place at the counter. Opening your cookbook, you found the recipe you were looking for, then propped it up. 

“Okay, here goes nothing.”

______________________________________________

An hour later, you pulled a surprisingly decent-looking cake out of the oven.

“I did it!”

“Looks great, Y/N.”

“Thank you! Let’s just hope it tastes as good as it looks.”

You began to frost the cake as Cook checked his soup.

“Do you think I could have two bowls of that in my room later, instead of in the mess hall?”

“Sure. Ye can eat wherever ya want. Ye and the Cap’n havin’ a private supper?”

“Yeah, but it’s a surprise, so don’t tell him, please.”

“My lips are sealed. I’ll send ever’thin’ y’all will need to your room in about an hour.”

“You’re the best, Cook! Thank you so much!”

His face was flushed as he replied, “My pleasure, Y/N. Glad to help anytime.”

You carefully placed the cake in the picnic basket, said goodbye to Cook, and slowly made your way back to your room. You were afraid some clumsy Ravager would come rushing around a corner and bump into you, but luckily you made it back without seeing anyone. You unlocked your door, carefully set the basket on the table, and let out a sigh of relief. 

You hurried to get dressed and ready, and finished just in time. True to his word, an hour later, Cook was at your door with a trolley of food.

“Got ever’thin’ y’all will need,” he told you, as he pushed the trolley inside.

“Perfect! Thank you again! I’ll be sure you get everything back safely.”

“I ain’t worried ‘bout it. Y’all have a good time,” he said, waving, as he left again.

“Okay, now to get Yondu here.”

Picking up your mini holopad, you pressed the key to contact him.

“Hey, darlin’,” he greeted you, as his face filled the screen.

“Hey, Yondu! Where are you?”

“Talkin’ to Kraglin ‘bout our next mission.”

“How much longer do you think you’ll be?”

“Why? Ya missin’ me?” he grinned.

“Always.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Don’t worry, I’m on my way. Ya in yer room?”

“Yes.”

“’K, I’ll see ya soon, darlin’.”

He signed off, and you felt a jolt of nervousness and excitement rush through you.

You quickly set the table, and placed the basket on the trolley so it would be safely out of the way until after dinner. You hid Yondu’s gift in a drawer of your nightstand, and then took one more look around the room to be sure everything was in place.

There was a knock at the door, and you almost clapped your hands in excitement. Smoothing the front of your dress as you walked, you opened the door to see Yondu standing there, smiling at you.

“Hey, Y/N. Ya look beautiful.” He stepped inside, then kissed you as he closed the door behind him.

You almost forgot the reason you’d called him here. Breaking the kiss reluctantly, you said, “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes!” Taking his hand, you led him to the table.

“What’s this?”

“Your birthday dinner! C’mon, sit down before it gets cold.”

Without moving, he said, “Ya did all this fer me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve never had a birthday party, and because I love you.”

_Where had that come from?_

You were blushing furiously, and you weren’t sure what had come over you. You and Yondu had never actually said those words to one another, and you were afraid it might be too soon, even though it was how you felt. The last thing you wanted to do was scare him away.

Yondu was staring at you, searching your face for something, and the silence seemed to stretch on for years, though in truth it was only a few seconds.

Finally, in a husky voice, he asked, “Ya mean that?”

“Yes,” you whispered.

He broke into a wide grin. “I love you, too, Y/N.”

Suddenly, you were in his arms, and the birthday party was briefly forgotten. 

After a few beautifully passionate moments, Yondu said quietly, “The soup.”

“What?” you asked, blankly.

“We should eat the soup ‘fore it gets cold, since ya went to so much trouble.”

“Oh, right. The soup,” you replied, a bit breathlessly.

He grinned, clearly enjoying the effect he had on you.

Sitting down at the small table together, you found that the soup was, thankfully, still warm.

“What kinda soup is this?” he asked.

“I have no idea. Cook sent it down for us. It’s good, though, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

After finishing the soup, you announced, “I’ve got another surprise for you.”

“’Nother one?”

“Yes!” You stood up and hurried to the trolley to get the cake.

Turning around to see what you were doing, Yondu stated, “Ya kept the basket.”

“Of course I did! I’m never getting rid of it.”

You pulled out the cake, and cheerfully exclaimed, “Happy birthday, Yondu!”

Setting it carefully on the table, you told him, “There should be candles, but I didn’t think an open flame on a spaceship was a good idea.”

Yondu laughed. “Nah, it ain’t. Did Cook make this, too?”

“No, I did! I hope you like chocolate.”

“Never had it, but I’m sure I’ll love it if you made it.”

“Never had chocolate.” You shook your head. “You Ravagers are missing out on some of the best things in life.”

You retrieved cutlery and two plates from the trolley, then cut two slices of cake. You sat down with your slice, and watched nervously as Yondu took a bite. After chewing for a few seconds, his eyes widened – oh, lord, were Centaurians allergic to chocolate? You should have thought about that. Had you _poisoned him_?

“This is really good!” he mumbled, with a mouthful of cake.

“Is it?” You let out the breath you’d been holding. 

“Yeah,” he assured you, as he took another bite. “Yer right, I have been missin’ out.”

Relieved, you took a bite. It wasn’t half bad, considering you hadn’t baked in over three years.

After finishing his slice, and eating yet another one, he said, “This birthday party business ain’t so bad.” Looking around at the sparse decorations, he continued, “I like what ya did in here, all the little dec’rations.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s not much, I know -”

“Don’t say that. It’s perfect.”

Beaming at him, you suddenly remembered, “Oh! I also got you a present.”

You jumped up and hurried to your nightstand. Picking up the gift, you returned to the table and nervously handed the package to Yondu as you sat down again.

“Ya didn’t need to get me anythin’.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”

Pulling the ribbon off carefully, he laid it to the side, then, almost reverently, he removed the box lid. Picking up the constellation globe, he moved aside the tissue paper, then broke into a smile. “This our constellation? Andromeda?”

“Yes! I was hoping you’d remember that conversation.”

Shaking the globe gently, he watched the glittery stars swirl around Andromeda as he replied, “’Course I do. An’ I love it – it’s gonna look great on my console.”

“I’m so happy you like it!”

“I do, it’s perfect.” Setting the globe carefully on the table, he stood up and held out his hand. “C’mere.”

You took his hand and stood in front of him. “How did you like your first birthday party?”

“Loved it. Ya didn’t hafta go to all this trouble fer me, ya know,” he told you, as he placed one hand on your waist and caressed your face with the other. “Yer the only gift I need.”

Lost for words, you leaned forward and kissed him.


End file.
